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Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

I’ll just go ahead and write it: Jim Caldwell should be the ex-coach of the Colts when the season is over.

I take no pleasure in writing that. Caldwell is one of the most decent people you will ever meet. And it isn’t his fault the organization was ill-prepared for 2011 and Peyton Manning’s health. But Caldwell is a bad head coach.

What are his skills? Why should he stay on in Indy? If you disagree with my take, enlighten me on his strengths. His in-game management has always been suspect, starting with his disastrous and goofy clock management at the end of the playoff loss to the Jets last year that had Manning shaking his head from the sidelines.

He is supposed to be an offensive coach and a quarterback guru. Have we seen that? His winless team has appeared flat and uninterested. Sure, the team was built around one iconic star player. But this commentary dates back to all three years now on Caldwell. He took Tony Dungy’s team to the Super Bowl. Caldwell removed his starters in Week 16 of that year to get his team ready for the playoffs and eschew perfection.

Bill Belichick won double-digit games when he lost Tom Brady for the year in Week 1. Caldwell’s 2011 Colts are a legit candidate to lose every single game. That’s coaching.

Caldwell made sense, despite his awful showing as a college head coach, because when you employ Manning, continuity is key. Dungy wanted Caldwell to replace him. The great Bill Polian wanted someone to nod. It all seemed logical, three years ago. It was the right appointment.

The Colts now need to look into the crystal ball. Is Caldwell the right man to usher in a new quarterback, maybe even Andrew Luck? Is he the right person to tell Manning that his time is up? Is he the right person to inspire and pick a system for the post-Peyton Colts?

The 2012 Colts need a fresh voice. Change is inevitable by 2013. Be proactive, improve the head coach and do it at the end of the year. It will be the best thing to happen to the franchise.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

I agree Caldwell is a bad head coach. The team he inherited from Dungy was very much capable of winning the super bowl however we came up short and have gone down hill from there. We can put blame on the O Line, weak D..etc but it starts at the top i think.

Should Manning not come back at the same caliber he once was, which i doubt he will. Then sure let him get and lets start the rebuilding process... I think then and only then should we think about making a change at the head coach position. Then go from there.

Last edited by aero; 10-19-2011 at 10:51 PM.

If you havin' depth problems, I feel bad for you son; I got 99 problems but a bench ain't one! - Hicks

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Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

Mike Ditka on Mike and Mike had some interesting comments. Paraphrasing, he said that if you look at how this Colts team is constructed, there are a lot of bricks that are missing or in the wrong place. Nothing fits together and it had to fall apart.

He then said something about how players ought to be motivated by pride, if nothing else, to not let something like that happen.

Two comments that seem to aim first at Polian, then at Caldwell and the players.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

Mike Ditka on Mike and Mike had some interesting comments. Paraphrasing, he said that if you look at how this Colts team is constructed, there are a lot of bricks that are missing or in the wrong place. Nothing fits together and it had to fall apart.

He then said something about how players ought to be motivated by pride, if nothing else, to not let something like that happen.

Two comments that seem to aim first at Polian, then at Caldwell and the players.

Everyone is pounding on the coaching staff's door with pitch forks and torches ready to run them out of town, but a lot of the anger and disbelief needs to be directed at the people who sit up in their white ivory tower. The Polians should carry as much or even more blame for this disaster then the coaching staff.

They are the ones who constructed a defense that is only effective when playing with a lead. They did not build an aggressive attacking defense that can stand on their own if the offense is struggling. They need Manning as that threat that forces teams to abandon their plans and revert to the passing game to keep up.

They are the ones who continually neglected the offensive line and relied on Manning's ability to diagnosis a defense and Howard Mudd to coach up the UDFA and cast offs from other teams. When they do address it is a total miss with Ugoh that cost us another first round pick.

They are the ones who have continually missed on early draft picks over the past five to six years. Ugoh, Pollak, Gonzo, Brown, and Hughes are huge misses that really have crippled this team.

Manning's leadership and ability has covered up the scars that have been left by poor draft decisions and just years of neglect. Finally the Polians rolled snake eyes and it has all come crashing down. When you put everything on Manning's shoulders you are bound to have a total disaster if he gets hurt.

With that said Caldwell and his staff have been totally outmatched this year and this team has not been able to react or make any adjustments. It is time for them to all go.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

The Polians aren't the ones who brought the Tampa 2 defense in. Tony Dungy brought the Tampa 2 defense. Is it really a surprise that one of his assistants would keep the Tampa 2 in place?

We have seen that Polian has been able to construct a team that doesn't use the Tampa 2 defense. We haven't seen Caldwell's ability.

I don't think throwing the baby out with the bathwater is the solution.

Bring in a different coach with a different strategy and draft the players that fit that scheme. IF Polians show that they're either unwilling to move in a different direction or if they're unable to draft players that aren't Tampa 2 fitting, then they need to go.

But you guys keep pretending like Polian is some God awful GM, when in fact, he's going to retire as the best GM football has ever seen. I think he's probably a little more versatile than you're giving him credit for.

And plus, I've heard for a very long time that Dungy was Irsay's man, and not Polians. So it sounds like the Tampa 2 thing is coming from the very top of the ladder.

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Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

I honestly don't have a problem with Chris Polian if dad steps down. Considering it was the younger Polian responsible for the last draft I could see a wait and see on the youngster.

You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

But you guys keep pretending like Polian is some God awful GM, when in fact, he's going to retire as the best GM football has ever seen. I think he's probably a little more versatile than you're giving him credit for.

Polian is not a god awful GM, but to act like he and Chris do not carry some of the burden for this disaster is just trying to pass the buck.

I much rather get rid of Caldwell and his staff then to fire either Polian.

As much as Polian is a major tool as a person he is still one of the better GMs in this league and has a proven track record. I rather roll the dice with him then stick with Caldwell and his crappy staff.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

The Polians aren't the ones who brought the Tampa 2 defense in. Tony Dungy brought the Tampa 2 defense. Is it really a surprise that one of his assistants would keep the Tampa 2 in place?

We have seen that Polian has been able to construct a team that doesn't use the Tampa 2 defense. We haven't seen Caldwell's ability.

I don't think throwing the baby out with the bathwater is the solution.

Bring in a different coach with a different strategy and draft the players that fit that scheme. IF Polians show that they're either unwilling to move in a different direction or if they're unable to draft players that aren't Tampa 2 fitting, then they need to go.

But you guys keep pretending like Polian is some God awful GM, when in fact, he's going to retire as the best GM football has ever seen. I think he's probably a little more versatile than you're giving him credit for.

And plus, I've heard for a very long time that Dungy was Irsay's man, and not Polians. So it sounds like the Tampa 2 thing is coming from the very top of the ladder.

Yeah, I agree. Here's what I know: Jim Caldwell is a bad coach. He wasn't a good coach in college, and he hasn't been a good coach in the NFL. That much, I am certain of. Here's what I don't know: If the Polians really deserve as much vitriol as they are getting from all this. Certainly, they deserve a healthy dose of the burden for the team's current predicament, but I don't think letting go one of the best GMs of all time would be a wise move at this juncture. Like Since, I am willing to give the Polians the benefit of the doubt and just get rid of that imbecile Caldwell.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

I have a hard time understanding how Jim Mora was kicked to the curb by Polian when Jim Caldwell would not be. So I have some hope this Caldwell experiment is fast coming to an end.

But there's a couple of elephant's in the room:
Whose idea is it to have a defense that funnels teams into playing the type of offense needed to beat the Colts? Even if you have excellent players playing the defensive scheme it's still flawed once the league realizes you don't need to chase points against the Colts. You take what the defense gives you, control the ball, keep Manning on the bench for long stretches, and put pressure on him and the offense to play perfect football or else they will hardly see the ball again. (Now couple that with a team with an injured Manning...)

The scheme only works if teams panic and try to get into a shootout with the Manning led Colts and also chase points (go for it on 4th down rather than take an almost sure FG for example). But teams don't do that any longer. They've all figured out what the smarter teams knew all along- Take what the defense EASILY gives you, it's a perfect strategy to beat the Colts anyway.

The other thing that's hard not to pin on Polian is the draft misses and how they've compounded. One miss has led to another miss... and then to another... Get it right and you maybe aren't even looking at the same players in following drafts.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

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"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

The other thing that's hard not to pin on Polian is the draft misses and how they've compounded. One miss has led to another miss... and then to another... Get it right and you maybe aren't even looking at the same players in following drafts.

And yet you give him zero credit for finding a 2x Pro Bowler in Antoine Bethea in the 6th round.

That's been my whole sticking point with Bballfan. You pick and choose what you want to look at, and what you want to ignore.

Sure, Polian has missed some draft picks. He's also found a lot of good, and even great players in the later rounds.

If you're going to criticize about his drafting, then you should also acknowledge his successes.

EDIT: It's really not about the players he's finding, but rather how they're trying to use them.

Re: Looks like the "Fire Jim Caldwell" movement may have a backer

I honestly don't have a problem with Chris Polian if dad steps down. Considering it was the younger Polian responsible for the last draft I could see a wait and see on the youngster.

I thought this years draft was pretty good. The jury is out on the first 2 picks because of injuries but it doesn't seem to be terrible picks yet.. Nevis was a great pick, kinda. Dominated when healthy.. Carter was a great pick, hes our best skilled runner. Haven't seen a lot of Rucker yet, but that also means he isn't getting burnt and brought into the limelight. Doubt he's worse than Lacey.

I blame Bill a bit for missed picks in the last few drafts. And Jim because he doesn't know how to coach and adjust during games.. Then the trainers for not teaching our guys how to stay healthy! ...Its a mess.